


Soul Ties

by temporary_tats



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged Up (just a little - they're like 17), Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Amity and Luz are juinors, F/F, Gus is a freshman, I'm shook this is getting this much attention lol, I've never done one of these, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lumity, Minor Violence, Physical Abuse, The twins are seniors, Willow is also a junior, but enjoy!, either way, enjoy, not all characters are there off the bat, or terrible, so this might be interesting!, that gay shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28386114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/temporary_tats/pseuds/temporary_tats
Summary: "Mama, what's that on your arm?" A young Luz pointed to the string of words that covered her mother's forearm. Camila sighed and figured it was time for the infamous "talk" with her little Luz."Well, this here is called a soul tie. These marks are what tie you to the person you are meant to be with - your soulmate. They show up different for everyone, and some never get theirs at all. But some are born with the first words their soulmate speaks to them, some don't get theirs until their initial interaction with them, with their first words forever upon their skin past that point. Some have empathy marks - little things that the other has drawn on themselves show up on their skin, their bruises and scrapes are shared with their soulmate," Camila paused, glancing at the latest random bruise on her daughter's knee, and the little star on her thigh."This, my little one," she pointed to the words on her own forearm, "are the first words your father ever spoke to me." She smiled brightly, and Luz did, too. "And this, Luz, belongs to your soulmate," she brushed her fingers over the bruise on her knee, and poked the star on her thigh.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Edric Blight/Jerbo, Emira Blight/Viney
Comments: 105
Kudos: 376





	1. I'm Your Canvas

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! I have a love for Soulmate AUs, but I never thought it made much sense to me that everyone had the same type of soul connection - so I sort of took a few of my favorites and smashed them up into one AU - plus I don't think I've seen any Lumity Soulmate AUs, so I figured y'all would enjoy! Like always, please point out any grammatical errors or anything to improve the fic for a better reading experience. Thanks y'all! Enjoy~

"Mama, what's that on your arm?" A young Luz pointed to the string of words that covered her mother's forearm. Camila sighed and figured it was time for the infamous "talk" with her little Luz.

"Well, this here is called a soul tie. These marks are what tie you to the person you are meant to be with - your soulmate. They show up different for everyone, and some never get theirs at all. But some are born with the first words their soulmate speaks to them, some don't get theirs until their initial interaction with them, with their first words forever upon their skin past that point. Some have empathy marks - little things that the other has drawn on themselves show up on their skin, their bruises and scrapes are shared with their soulmate," Camila paused, glancing at the latest random bruise on her daughter's knee, and the little star on her thigh.

"This, my little one," she pointed to the words on her own forearm, "are the first words your father ever spoke to me." She smiled brightly, and Luz did, too. "And this, Luz, belongs to your soulmate," she brushed her fingers over the bruise on her knee, and poked the star on her thigh. Luz let out a giggle. Camila couldn't wait for the day her daughter met her soulmate.

_____

Luz shifted around on the stool of her pottery class. They were supposed to be working on sculpting - Luz had chosen the main character from her favorite novel, The Good Witch Azura, but even her love for the project couldn’t keep Luz’s focus. Entranced by the little ink flower garden growing across her arm, she found it nearly sinful to look away.

_Someone’s nervous today._

“Ms. Noceda, there’s only 15 minutes left of the period, and it seems you haven’t made any progress at all,” the borderline-prissy, nearly gritty voice of her teacher snapped her attention.

“Oh, right. Sorry Mr. Abomination,” she flushed slightly as she heard a few chuckles from around the room.

“That’s fine, just get to work - or you’ll be forced to finish your project over the weekend,” Luz nodded.

“Yes sir.” She grabbed the barely-recognizable figure of Azura, and began working on shaping more details into the figure. She was relieved when the bell rang a little later - it was lunch, and Luz was starving. She slept in and hadn’t had time to eat anything this morning, and she was feeling it now.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

_Willow: Hey - my algebra teacher’s making me tutor one of the girls in my class (who I swear hasn’t even shown up for half the year) so I won’t be in the caf today. Wish me luck._

Luz groaned before typing out a quick response.

_L: Making you???_

_Willow: ...she offered me extra credit._

Luz rolled her eyes.

_L: Well, good luck - don’t die!_

She hearted Willow’s stream of laughing faces before throwing her phone back in her pocket. At least she’d get to eat lunch with Gus.

“Oh come _on_!” Gus had sent her a text saying that he had a meeting with the ancient societies club, and that he wouldn’t be able to make it to lunch. She ignored the few curious glances cast her way and plopped down at a random table with her tray full of cafeteria pizza and a suspiciously-greasy fruit cup.

_This is fine, totally fine. Who cares - people eat alone all the time! Nothing unusual at all._

Luz fiddled with her plastic fork before stabbing a piece of pineapple. She glanced around the room, trying to spot anyone else she knew. Her eyes landed on a familiar hook earring. _Viney_!

She picked up her tray and dashed through the fluorescent-lighting to the other table before sliding onto the bench seat next to her friend.

Viney looked confused for a moment, before letting loose a big smile. “Hey Luz! Where are Willow and Gus?” Luz sighed.

“Willow’s tutoring someone in her math class, and Gus had a club meeting.” She picked up her piece of cafeteria pizza and took a monster bite. Viney looked disgusted, yet impressed.

They talked for a minute before she felt her hair stand up. What the? She glanced around to see one of the popular girls staring at the illustration splattered across her forearm from just a few tables over. Luz gave a cautious wave before the other girl quickly turned her head away, barely hiding her reddened face.

“Whatcha looking at?” Viney was trying to follow Luz’s eyes, but couldn’t quite seem to - “Are you staring at Blight?” Luz threw a confused look her way.

“Huh?” Viney roller her eyes.

  
“How in the hell do you not - okay, Amity Blight, right there, green hair with the brown roots? Spoiled rich girl who’s the poster-child goth?” Luz rolled her eyes.

“Yeah yeah, okay, yes. I was looking at her, but only because she was looking at me first!” Luz protested. “She was staring at the thing on my arm.” Luz showed Viney the flower garden smothered across her tan skin.

“Wait, wait, wait - she was staring at your soul tie?” Luz nodded slowly. “What if she’s like, your _soulmate_!” Luz laughed, hard and loud, drawing the attention of half the room.

“Really? You’re kidding, Vin, right?” The normally mischievous look in the girl’s eye was nowhere to be found, and Luz felt herself tingling with nervous energy. Her soulmate, the star player of the Hexside High’s infamous soccer team? Amity would never give Luz the time of day, let alone entertain the idea of Luz being her soulmate.

“Well, I mean, why else would she be staring at it?” Viney brought up an excellent point, but Luz was clad with bold-faced denial.

“Well it takes up like, two-thirds of my arm. Maybe she thought it was a dumb tattoo and was planning on finding a way of making fun of me for it?” Luz knew it sounded like a bit of a stretch, but maybe it was realistic enough for Viney to drop it.

“Well, have you ever tried writing something back?” Luz opened her mouth to say something, but, no, admittedly she hadn’t. Or, well, not successfully. She tried writing hello once, only to have it scribbled over rather quickly and hadn’t tried again since.

Sensing her hesitation, Viney kept pushing. “Oh come on - just try writing something! If she reacts to it, we’ll know for sure!” Luz rolled the idea around in her head before pulling out a pen from her backpack. She knew that if Amity was her soul mate, she’d react to anything she wrote. Or at least, that’s how it worked for her. Anytime her soulmate was writing or doodling on her arm, it always came with almost a gentle, tingly feeling. It was kind of relaxing, actually.

“Fine, fine, but only to prove you wrong, and then you’ll drop it, yeah?” Viney nodded enthusiastically.

“Write it on your hand!” Luz shook her head.

“Nope, I’m gonna write it on my ankle - it’s a random enough place that if she reacted to it, there’d be no way that it wasn’t true,” Luz smiled like a mad genius before pulling up her pant leg to write on her ankle.

_Hey :)_

It was simple enough, and Luz almost found herself hoping to get a reaction from the other girl. She watched intensely for a moment, analyzing every move she made. Amity glanced back at Luz momentarily, who still had her leg up and pen at her ankle. Amity’s legs were stiff, but the leg that would have matched Luz’s was shaking slightly. Amity turned away and did nothing else.

Luz’s maniacal smile was long gone.

“See? I told you.” Viney just patted her friend on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry buddy, I really thought -” Luz silenced her.

“I know, it’s okay. Thanks for trying, though, Vin,” Luz gave her a small smile. Viney sighed as the bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period. As Luz packed up her stuff and said a quick goodbye to her friend, she sent a last glance towards Amity, who was slowly and gracefully packing up her things. Luz turned away and headed out of the cafeteria to her next class - which thankfully had Willow.

As the door closed behind the tall girl, Amity lifted her leg up on the table’s bench, running a finger over the small ink message on her ankle. She pulled up her sleeve, looking at the flowery drawing she had been working on all morning as nervous energy gnawed at her stomach.

Her parents were holding a socialite gathering tonight, which meant that she had to play along with her mother’s antics, writing a message on her arm and attempting to find a match among the sons of their business partners with the same type of soul tie. It was a painful experience, forcing her to face constant rejection after each time a hopeful look fell from a suitor’s face and turned to a scoff, often a comment of how there was no way they’d want to be her soulmate anyways. She knew that they likely faced the same feelings she did, but it never hurt any less.

She shook her head and quickly covered up the spots of ink. Taking a last glance around, she headed to the library to clear her mind. Her next class was a study hall, and she didn’t think she could pay attention to her school work at all.

“Come on, Amity,” she muttered to herself. Glancing through the fiction section, she plucked a Good Witch Azura book from the shelf before going to sit at one of the tables in the corner. She flipped a couple chapters in, and started reading when her phone started ringing. She let out a sigh as she picked up.

“Amity Blight,” she stated in a fake peppy tone.

“Oh hush, mittens,” She let her guard fall at the sound of the familiar voice.

“Hey Edric - what’s up?” She asked, still skimming the pages in front of her.

“Weeeeellll, I was hoping that you’d be able to come help me. Emira laughed at me and I don’t have anyone else I trust with this.” Edric’s voice was nervous and filled with a serious tone that was unusual for him. She closed her book and gave him her full attention.

“I’ll help if I can - what’s going on?” Edric sighed.

“Okay so, um. I think I just found my soulmate? I bumped into him in the hallway and he just sort of rambled off a bunch of apologies? But suddenly I felt this tingling on my chest, and when I just said, like, ‘Oh it’s alright, don’t worry about it,’ he just stared at me wide eyed as he covered up the back of his neck before he just laughed and ran off,” Edric sounded exasperated.

He continued, “Then, when I went to the bathroom, I pulled my shirt off to see what was going on with my chest, and written across it was just, ‘I’m really sorry for falling all over you’ which was definitely something he had said, and I just sort of panicked, and may have run out of the bathroom with no shirt, but when I realized that it was gone and that people were definitely staring, I went back to try and find it and now it’s _gone_ and I’m _shirtless_ hiding in the bathroom.” Amity was quiet for a moment before she started giggling.

“Okay, okay - did you get his name?” He groaned. “That’s a no, got it.” Amity thought for a moment about how she could help him, but figured the first thing to do was to get him a shirt.

“Well just tell me which bathroom you’re in and I’ll find something to bring you, and then we can work on tracking down your soulmate!” the words falling from her lips felt deeply hypocritical, seeing as that she had completely ignored her soulmate.

“Okay, thanks Mittens,” she could feel the relief in his tone, and knew that she needed to put her own feelings aside and help her brother - despite how much of a pain he could be sometimes. Once she understood where he was, she quickly ran to the Lost and Found and grabbed a random shirt that she thought would fit him well enough.

“207, 207, 207,” Amity muttered to herself, searching for the classroom that Edric said the bathroom was next to.

Once she found it, she took a quick jog, intending to pass it and head directly to the bathrooms, but her eyes caught a purple and white sweatshirt, worn by a girl with beautifully tan skin, sitting right in the front row, eyes bright with excitement at whatever the teacher was saying. Amity’s illustration was still on full display on the girl’s arm, and she could barely make out the message the girl had written on her ankle, the bottom half of a smiley face giving her all the assurance she needed. She knew she had been staring too long when the girl’s excited gaze met Amity’s eyes and the girl was overcome with a startled look.

Amity’s face flushed and she made a quick move to back away. Her hand shot up in the air, and she started talking, before she got up and jogged towards the door, exiting the classroom. Amity tried to back away, but as she was face to face with her soulmate, she felt frozen.

“Hey,” the girl said, holding out a large hand. “I’m Luz. Amity, right?”


	2. Mittens! Mittens?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters? In ONE DAY? I'm a mad man I tell you, a mad man.
> 
> This chapter is a little bare, and I'm bound to edit it again later, but I hope you enjoy it for now!

Amity held her breath. _Luz_. It was a name she’d never heard before, but boy did her parents name her right. 

Standing before her was what Amity was convinced was a literal ball of sunshine - and it killed her to her core. Her smile was so bright, and her eyes were shining against the natural light leaking in through a window nearby. This could not, no way, be her soulmate. _How?_

Amity glanced down at herself before giving Luz a small nervous smile. _Are her eyes, glimmering?_

“Ah, um, yeah. Yeah, I’m Amity. Amity Blight,” She held out her hand, and nearly cursed when she realized that her sleeve had ridden up, and right there on her outstretched arm was her flower drawing. She shot her arm back before Luz had the chance to see it, leaving the poor girl painfully confused. Amity quickly brushed it off.

"So um - about today, at lunch, I uh," Amity started, hoping to squish any suspicions she might have. _A girl for a soulmate? My parents will have my head._

"I wasn't meaning to stare at you," she laughed nervously. "I was just um, staring into space, you know? You just happened to be in my line of, uh, my line of sight." Luz nodded slowly. 

"That makes sense - sorry if I freaked you out! I was just uh, a little confused I guess," her tone dipped from its cheerful nature into a soft melancholy, and Amity was mesmerized. 

_No, no, no, stop it Amity. She can't be your soulmate, she can't be._

Panic started to grip Amity's chest, and she pressed her fingernails deeply into her palms, trying to calm her rapid heart beat. Luz shook her own palms, letting out a soft, "ouch!" while she rubbed the fingernail marks rapidly appearing. Amity was horrified and quickly calmed the death grip on her hands. 

_Right. Empathy tie._

She looked around for a momentary escape when Luz pointed to the balled up maroon shirt in her hand. 

“What’s that for?” _Oh my god, Edric._

“Shit, shit, shit. Um, okay, well I have to go now - this is for my brother, who’s hiding shirtless in that bathroom right now,” she pointed vaguely in the direction of the bathroom where he brother was currently probably having a minor panic attack. Luz laughed, loud and open. It made Amity a little jealous, but lord was her laugh the prettiest sound she’d ever heard. 

“Can I help? Please let me help, this has got to be the funniest thing I’ve heard happen all day,” Luz’s smile made Amity’s heart weak. Her conscious begged her not to, and yet the words came tumbling right out of her mouth. 

“Of course you can!” _Oh my god what have I done._ Luz beamed, and for a moment it made Amity’s stupidity worth it. 

That is, until they knocked on the bathroom door, which Edric flung open and pulled them both inside in a matter of seconds. 

“Mittens!” he cried, relief flooding his anxious demeanor.

“Mittens?” The teasing tone in Luz’s voice made Amity seethe. 

“Hey, you don’t get to call her that - wait, who are you?” Edric eyed her suspiciously, before glancing at Amity. When his gaze settled on the drawing across Luz’s arm, his eyes lit up like Bonesborough’s Fourth of July fireworks show. 

“Hey, isn’t that -” Amity clamped a hand over his mouth and sent him a dagger-filled glare. Normally Edric would have happily kept talking and teasing away, but the pure desperation for his silence in his sister’s gaze made him stall. 

Nodding his head slightly, Amity slowly removed her hand from his face. “Ahem, sorry, I was just uhh, going to ask if you’re in my uh, um, 6th period study hall! Yeah! I’ve seen you before, I think,” he chuckled nervously. 

“Ah yeah, I’d say I recognize you but I mostly zone out during study hall,” Luz rubbed the back of her neck as she let loose a sheepish smile. 

_Stop being cute? Please?_

“Oh? Why’s that?” Edric asked, genuine curiosity in his tone. Glancing at her arm Luz was stricken with pause. 

“O-oh uhm, no reason.” The embarrassed look on Luz’s face sat like a pit in Amity’s stomach. 

“Does it uh, have anything to do with this?” Amity asked Luz, gently taking her arm filled with Amity’s drawings. Luz blushed.

“Yeah,” she nodded. Edric’s eyes were heavily suspicious towards Amity. She didn’t look at him again. Amity’s sixth period was one of the A.P. classes her parents forced her to take. It was chemistry, and Amity hated chemistry. 

It frustrated her to no end, filling with her feelings of failure. She always thought she was pretty top of her class - her parents would have accepted no less - but she did a lot of nervous doodling during her sixth period. After Amity had felt that feeling again - it had happened once a long time ago, when she was in middle school. A simple “hello” had scrawled onto her hand, and it had been such a gentle feeling, but the sudden message - in the middle of one of her parent’s socialite gatherings, no less, filled her with panic. 

She had found a pen and scribbled over it as quickly as possible. The pull in of suitors that night was painfully cocky and arrogant, and the idea of one of them writing her hello was vomit-inducing. 

But now, looking at the girl before her, and realizing that that night, a curious middle school Luz had tried to reach her, after being clad with Amity’s doodles and bruises and scrapes for her whole life. And she had crushed that. So now, Luz had tried again, once, to reach out, to say hello, after she had caught Amity blatantly staring at her during lunch. 

Amity felt guilty, that she had stood stock still in panic, as Luz just wrote a simple message, refusing to show that _yes_ she knew that Luz was trying to see if, in fact, the reason Amity had been staring was because she was really her soulmate, having recognized the sleeve of doodles on her arm. 

“I think whoever I’m tied to gets nervous a lot. Like there are times where I can almost feel the nerves as they shakily draw, feeling even the pressure of the pen. They get a lot of bruises too,” Luz’s brow furrowed at that last one. Amity paled and Edric’s eyes were filled with sorrow. 

“O-oh. Um. well, that’s incredibly sad, isn’t it?” Edric tried to draw Luz’s attention, to let Amity gain an inch of composure. 

Luz chuckled slightly. “Yeah. I got a black eye once - I swear my mami had a panic attack when she saw it.” Amity’s heart lurched in her chest. 

“Oh I’ve got to get back to class,” Edric mentioned suddenly, yanking the shirt from Amity’s hand and throwing it over his head. Amity tried to hide her giggle, at the sight of the definitely too small shirt hugging Edric’s body. 

“What the heck!” Edric gasped.   
  
“It said it’s a large!” Amity was on the verge of busting up laughing now. 

Luz was laughing too. “Amity, that’s a _woman's_ large.” Edric was incredulous.

“I - you,” He took a deep breath. “You know, I’m gonna go. You two enjoy. Mittens, I’m getting you back for this later.”

“It was an accident!” Amity cried.

Edric groaned. “Oh my god what if he sees me in this? I look so awkward and not put together!” Edric’s shoulders slumped as he sheepishly inched out of the bathroom. 

As Luz watched him go, she couldn’t help but think that the Blight siblings were definitely interesting. Looking at Amity now, she’s starting to get jealous of whoever her soulmate is. 

Amity’s face was an odd mix of flushed and pale, and Luz wondered for a moment if she was feeling sick.

“Hey, are you feeling alright?” She asked cautiously, placing a gentle arm on the girl’s shoulder. Luz felt Amity stiffen up under her hand, and didn’t know how much she believed the rapid nods she was given in response.

“Yeah! I feel fine - no, great, even! The best!” The nervous laughs that followed made Luz raise her eyebrows at the girl. It was then that she realized she was in fact alone, in a bathroom, with easily one of the most popular girls at Hexside High. Luz felt her own face pale and quickly took her arm back. Amity was still stiff, and set her gaze on the quickly removed arm in question. 

“S-so uh, you find your soulmate yet?” Luz asked nervously. _Oh my god you dumbass, why not waltz immediately into the most personal question out there?_

Amity’s face blushed a vibrant red and Luz felt her soul leave her body at her own stupidity. _Dios mío please don’t leave me now._

“Uh well, yes? I mean, I have but,” she started, her eyes set on the tile floor. “I don’t know them very well. Yet, at least.” Amity was looking right at Luz now, and Luz felt the pure jealousy rile up in her gut. 

She wasn’t a jealous person, but it was painful to see that not only had Amity found her soulmate already, here Luz was, making a fool of herself for no good reason. Who knew if her soulmate was even here, in Bonesborough? What if she never found her soulmate? 

“Oh. That’s nice - hopefully you’ll get to know them better,” she smiled, but it was painful, and she only hoped that it seemed genuine enough. “Well, I uh, I should get going. Got to get back to class.” Amity nodded.

As Luz made a move to head towards the door, Amity grabbed her hand. Luz noticed it was much smaller than her own, and tried not to have her heart flutter in her chest. 

“Hey, do you, um,” Amity began, but shook her head. “Can I have your number? You seem like a pretty cool person, and hopefully we can be friends?” The last word felt unsure, but Luz nodded slowly. 

“Yeah,” she smiled. “Friends.” Amity smiled too, and pulled her phone out of her pocket, before pulling open a new contact and handing it to Luz.

Once she had all her information put in, she handed the phone back to Amity, who sent her a quick text. Luz pulled open her phone to save the number.

_Unknown: Hey :) It’s Amity_

Luz smiled at the text before sending a quick response.

_L: What’s up, Blight?_

Amity giggled and hearted the message before putting the phone back in her pocket. Luz opened the door for her and together they walked out, each heading to their own classes. Luz turned around in the hallway, now swarming with people, and gave Amity a wave through the crowd. Amity was looking back, too, and gave her a bright smile accompanied with her own small wave. 

Luz didn’t know her soulmate, but she did have a new friend, and she was pretty determined to find out why her brother called her mittens. 

She opened her phone to save Amity’s contact, and sent her another message.

_L: Nice seeing ya, Mittens :p_

_Mittens loved: “Nice seeing ya, Mittens :p”_

_Mittens: Nice seeing you too, but please NEVER call me that again :)_

Luz laughed and threw her phone back in her pocket. 

Luz hoped that Amity Blight was more than a blip in her social radar. Something told her there was more to the girl than what was on the surface.


	3. There's One Impostor Among Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo - a bit of a trigger warning here, folks, there's a bit of a scary boy in this chapter with some abusive tendencies, so be warned (more towards the end of the chapter). As usual, spot any grammatical mistakes or have any suggestions to make it read better? Let me know! Enjoy :)

_ Breathe in. 1, 2, 3, 4. Hold. 1, 2, 3, 4. Breathe out. 1, 2, 3, 4.  _

Amity sat, curled against the far wall of her room, attempting to pull herself out of her panic attack. The sound of high heels clicking against newly polished hardwood floors made her heart drop to her stomach.  _ Guess it’s time, huh? _

A quiet, firm knock sounded against her door. “Amity, are you almost ready, dear? The guests will be arriving in moments,” the bright tone to her mother’s voice made her sick.

“Of course, mother, just finishing up now. I’ll be out in a second,” Amity’s voice cracked, ever slightly. She held her breath, hoping her mother didn’t hear, or would ignore it. She was the perfect daughter, any inclination of otherwise would send her mother on a rage, especially on a night as important as tonight. 

There was a moment of silence, before she heard her mother speak again. “Good. Be down in five minutes, I need to make sure you look magnificent for the guests tonight.”  _ Suitors, you mean. _

“Yes ma’am.”  _ Breathe in. 1, 2, 3, 4.  _

Heels clicked, growing softer as they fell further into the distance.  _ Hold. 1, 2, 3, 4. _

Her phone buzzed beside her,  _ Luz  _ lighting up her screen. Amity managed to let loose a smile, the first since she’d gotten home earlier this afternoon.  _ Breathe out. 1, 2, 3, 4. _

_ Luz: Hey mittens! Whatcha up to? _

Amity huffed at the nickname. She wanted to hate it, she really wanted to, but something about it coming from Luz gave it a golden quality, and she found herself unable to be mad about it.

Though, she definitely punched Edric in the shoulder for letting loose the childhood nickname in front of her. 

_ A: Hey. Nothing much, just about to head down to a dumb party my parents make me perform at, like a circus monkey.  _

Amity looked at the text, before deleting it all.  _ Definitely not about to spill my guts to the girl I met literally a few hours ago, soulmate or not. _

_ A: Nothing much - you? _

_ Luz: I’m playing with my dog :) _

_ A: A DOG? :0 SHOW ME! _

Amity gushed over the picture Luz sent - it was a smaller dog, all black with some slightly creepy white markings over his face, eerily resembling a skull. 

_ A: Oh isn’t he just a precious little baby! Yes he is! Yes he IS! _

_ Luz loved: “Oh isn’t he just a precious little baby! Yes he is! Yes he IS!” _

_ Luz: Right! His name is King - though, he’s a tooootal brat! I mean, I swear, dude thinks he’s actual royalty! _

Amity laughed. A real, genuine laugh. It felt strange, but also really good? The weight on her chest was lifted, just slightly, and it felt like she could breathe for once. Until she took a glance at the clock and her world came crashing down again. 

_ A: Ahh sorry! I have to go - talk later? _

_ Luz: Awww :( Okayyy… byeeeeee _

Amity clicked her phone shut before standing to her feet. She threw on the high heels her mother had picked out for her, and quickly made sure her makeup was still perfect, fixing any slip ups that might have occurred. She moved swiftly down the hall and towards the grand entryway to the infamous Blight Mansion, where she saw her mother already greeting a few guests that had begun to enter. 

_ A CEO, a few investors, and other notable individuals in different sectors.  _ The pull-in so far was an expensive one - it seems that her mother was really hoping to find her daughter’s suitor among the already larger-than-usual crowd. 

She took a deep breath before descending elegantly down the long staircase towards the crowd. One courageous boy, he must’ve been at least a few years older than Amity, and was much, much taller. She mentally cursed her mother for her desperation.  _ Really? He must be at least twenty.  _

“Mrs. Blight, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” He took a hold of Amity’s small hand, before placing a gentle kiss on the top of it. She smiled politely before pulling it back to her side and discreetly wiping it on the side of her dress. 

“Yes, and you are?” He flashed was she was sure he thought was a charming smile, but the over-eccentric look came off more predatory than anything. Amity took a minor step back.

“My name is Connor, dear. I’m sure you know my father - as he is one of the Blight Group’s largest investors,” His arrogant tone was off-putting.  _ If I wasn’t gay enough before. _

“Oh I don’t really pay much attention to the family business, my father doesn’t believe it’s a girl’s place to handle such affairs,” her tone was monotone and icy, hopefully it would inspire him to leave. 

“Oh, well, that’s a shame! I think you’d make a fantastic business woman, Amity,” His eyes shone in the chandelier-lit room, and for a moment, Amity was curious. 

“Really? What makes you say that?” She prodded slowly. 

“Well, you know your academic achievements are enough in their own right, but that isn’t all, is it?”  _ Was he standing closer? _ She took another step back. 

“I’ve seen the way you talk and act around a crowd like this, the way you maneuver and handle so many people at once? It’s inspiring really. Not one person enters this estate without tripping into a trance, mesmerized by none other than you, Amity.” Amity blushed slightly as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. 

She pushed his hand away before stepping around him. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I have guests to attend to,” she gave him a polite smile before speeding off into the crowd. She mingled with a dozen other boys, and their parents, each looking for any form of spark that might hint that they could be the one. Each time Amity would quickly move on, and leave them to their own desires. 

___

After a few hours of mingling and her parents making sure each guest was enjoying the party, Odalia Blight traveled up a small platform, daughter in tow and pen in hand, to finally begin the event all had been waiting for. 

Odalia took hold of the microphone she had been handed by one of the waitstaff, plastering on a perfected-cheery smile. “Welcome, welcome, I hope everyone’s been enjoying the night! It’s so wonderful that each of you would make it out tonight, and I’m sure it means as much to my daughter as it does to me,” She took a glance at Amity, who smiled and waved at the crowd. She caught Connor’s eyes, who was standing across the room and staring directly at her. She went to move on, but the piercing stare he gave her was flustering, and the wink that followed made her want to vomit in her mouth. 

Her mother handed her the pen she had brought. “Now, Amity, are you ready to begin?” Amity nodded and clicked the pen, before writing what she had a hundred times on her forearm. 

_ Are you the one? _

She recapped the pen, handing it back to her mother. Within moments, suitors were checking their arms for any sign that they would finally be the one, the other end of Amity Blight’s soul tie. Minutes passed before, suddenly, a cry was heard from the other side of the room.

“Amity Blight, I do believe I am the one!” Her face paled.  _ What?  _ A certain tall, arrogant, boy sauntered through the crowd. 

“Connor Davis! Is it true? Show me your arm,” Odalia was nearly bursting with glee, as he lifted up his sleeve, revealing Amity’s message right there, in the same spot as hers.  _ No. There’s no way, it’s impossible. _

Odalia laughed, her face filled with a smile larger-than-life, and Amity sat there in shock. She hadn’t felt anything but uncomfortable with Connor, nothing like the bubbly feeling that filled her chest when she met Luz, or when she talked to Luz, or when she  _ thought _ about Luz. Connor made her sick, and frankly, a little frightened.

He looked at her again, those same piercing eyes and that same stupid smile. “No.” Amity said, calmly, a firmness to her words. The room fell silent. Her mother looked at her, her eyes stabbing their way through Amity’s skin, through her heart, and out the other side. Connor held too much of her mother in his eyes.

“This man is  _ not _ my soulmate,” Amity stated again, her calm demeanor slowly giving away to anger. Connor grabbed Amity’s hand, his grip strong and almost painful.

“What do you mean, dear? The soul tie would never lie, would it?” And at that, Amity’s whole soul collapsed. She stammered, confidence and certainty gone. 

Odalia let out a forced laugh and shooed the party guests away, taking Connor and Amity into Alador’s private office, where the party’s noise was faint, and the air felt cold. “You two, work this out. I’ll start setting up preparations with Mr. Davis as to how we’ll choose to proceed from here,” Odalia’s tone was sharp and factual, her words final. 

She left the room, head high, and left the pair alone. Suddenly, Amity felt very, very afraid. 

“Well, well, Ms. Blight, it seems I’m your soulmate, doesn’t it?” His smile no longer held its hint of charm. She stayed quiet. “You’re just going to ignore me?” His eyes held a fire in them that was threatening to Amity. He gritted his teeth, letting out a scowl.

“I don’t give a damn who your parents are, you belong to  _ me  _ now. Understand? That means when I’m fucking talking to you, you  _ answer _ ,” Amity’s face paled as he got closer.  _ Run. Run. Run. _ Her mind screamed at her over and over.

He gripped her arm tightly, Amity let out a whimper of pain. “Please let go,” she tried to pull her arm out of his grip. Suddenly, the  _ click-clack _ of heels on tile was making their way back down the hall, and he let go of her. His fingers had left a clear indentation on her forearm, so he quickly threw his suit jacket around her, and turned back on his charming facade as the door opened to reveal Odalia Blight.

She smiled at the two of them, and held Connor’s gaze, a question in her eyes. He nodded, and her smile grew. “I see you’ve worked things out,” she motioned to the suit jacket draped over Amity’s small body. Connor nodded, placing an arm around Amity’s shoulders. 

“I would say so, wouldn’t you?” He looked at Amity, and Amity nodded slightly, a forced smile on her lips. Odalia gushed.

“Fantastic! Connor, come with me please, I’d love to introduce you to Alador,” she took his arm and walked him out of the office.  _ I’d never think my mother would be the one to save me. _

Amity sunk to the floor, letting out a shaky sob, before she threw the suit coat across the room, letting it fall against the floor. She didn’t know how Connor had managed it, how he’d been able to pull it off, but Amity was certain that this man was not her soulmate, and never would be. 

She thought of Luz. Warm, gentle, kind Luz. She thought of the flower garden that had covered Luz’s arm, the little message she had written on her ankle, and the way that Luz’s face had pained when Amity had said she’d met her soulmate.

She considered telling her parents that she’d already met her soulmate, telling them about Luz. She paled at the idea of how they would react. Her soulmate? A girl? And quite clearly not a wealthy one. They’d likely tell her to never speak to her again, to ignore her and she’d get stuck with Connor anyways. 

She glanced at the marks on her arm that had begun to deeply bruise, before she realized the same bruises would be on Luz’s arm, too. The pain that Amity had felt as Connor gripped her arm, Luz had felt that too. Tears rolled down her face as she imagined Luz running her hands over the bruises, wondering what was happening to her soulmate. 

Amity cried harder as she felt a soft, tingling sensation on her left arm, right under the words Amity had written, which she realized Luz would have, too. Blue ink contrasted her pale skin, as three simple words shattered her even further.

_ Are you okay? _

She glanced around, grabbing a pen from her father’s desk. 

_ No. Not at all. _ She wrote, black ink bleeding into her skin. 

There was a moment of nothing, and she cursed herself for ever doing this, for talking to Luz or staring at her in the cafeteria. She cursed herself for not saying anything, either. She wished she could just call Luz and tell her to pick her up, beg her to take her away.

But they’d only met that afternoon, and while suddenly packing up a U-Haul was typical lesbian fashion, she wasn’t sure how well that would go over.

Her arm was tingling again, and blue ink was back, right under black.

_ What’s your name? _

Amity’s heart stopped.


	4. It's Midnight, Cinderella

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the delay - life's been a little hectic! I kinda love this chapter, and I hope you do too! As always, if you find any ways to improve the grammar, structure, or anything else about today's chapter, let me know! Enjoy ~

Amity’s chest felt tight. She could end all of the questioning right now - she could tell Luz the truth, and it would all be over.

The door opened abruptly, and a mountain of a man stood in the doorway. 

“Father,” Amity choked, doing whatever she could to keep some form of basic composure. His eyes were distant, his face held a silent question. His eyes fell to the coat strewn haphazardly across the room. “I-I’m sorry, father, I’ll -” she made a motion to stand, her father threw out a hand, halting her.

“Don’t.” Amity held her breath. He massaged the bridge of his nose, taking a step inside the doorway, letting the door softly _click_ behind him.

Amity shifted, uncertainty filled the air around them. The air was thick, the ink on Amity’s arm was smudging from her nervous sweat. 

His steps were confident, steady thumps against the hardwood floor. Amity glanced up towards Alador, who towered over her shaking body. He knelt down before his daughter, lips tugging slightly downwards as his eyes drift over the deep purple bruises covering Amity’s arm. 

Amity tired to cover the bruises with her hand, but it was too small to hide the large finger prints. Alador let out a deep sigh, before he fixed his eyes on the writing scattered and smeared across Amity’s forearm.

Amity followed his gaze, blushing deeply. 

“I always hated your mother’s parties. Her stupid, stupid tests to find your better half,” he sighed, running a finger over the last inky question, now smeared nearly past recognition. 

Amity’s voice dissipated in the cool night air - normally her father didn’t speak much, let alone against her mother. Often, when she heard his voice, it was when he got into shouting matches with the twins for their newest defacing of the Blight public image. This was a nice change, she supposed. Though, the momentary glimpse of sadness in his eyes stirred her stomach. 

“Did,” Amity paused, her voice barely above a whisper, afraid to break the fragile feeling in the air. “did she ever do this, with the twins?” Alador Blight shook his low-hanging head, before standing to his feet.

“I’m afraid they never put up with it. Every time they’d sit and mock the guests, your mother preferred to just keep them away,” he sighed. Amity nodded slowly, before she took her father’s large hand, that he had outstretched before her. “Come, let’s rejoin the party, shall we?” Amity’s heart sunk. 

She didn’t want to face Connor. She didn’t want to face her mother. She didn’t even know where the twins were, but Amity doubted she’d be able to stomach looking at them either. 

“May I use the restroom first, father?” Alador paused a moment, eyebrows creased as he looked at his daughter for a moment. He glanced back towards the door to the office, before a heavy sigh escaped his lips.

He squeezed Amity’s small hand, rough calluses against her smooth palms. He nodded with a momentary perk of the corners of his mouth, and Amity felt a sense of understanding between the two. 

“Thank you, father.” She stepped quickly against the tile floor, stomach growing sicker with every step. She saw the door to the bathroom, just a few feet away. _A few more steps_. Then, an arrogant smile slid in front of her shaking figure.

“Oh, my dear, there you are! I’ve been looking for you,” the words held a pseudo-sweetness to them, and suddenly Amity wasn’t sure she could hold in the nerves in her stomach.

Connor’s eyes were brown, but they were glossed in a layer of ice. His formalities were nothing but a thin layer over his explosive personality. She’d witnessed it for a moment in the office, and she hoped to avoid another. 

“Please move.” Amity’s words wobbled, betraying the firmness she had hoped to display. Connor chuckled in front of her, and she was suddenly very aware of how alone she was in the long hallway.

“No, no, you see, my love,” the words sent chills down her spine. “I’m not going to move, in fact, I’m going to take you back to the party with me. There’s so many people who want to meet Bonesbourough’s new hottest, wealthiest power couple, hm?” Amity gritted her teeth as she worked against her nausea.

“Please. Move.” Amity’s words were firmer this time, and Connor just scoffed at them.

“Did you not hear me? I’m sure I didn’t stutter - I’m not moving. _You_ are coming with _me_ to go back to the party, where we’ll show off to everyone, yeah?” His tone was sharp, and the anger in his eyes was back. 

If Amity didn’t turn this around soon, she was bound to have a few more bruises. Connor’s hand reached out for her, and suddenly, she couldn’t hold back the nerves trapped in her stomach. 

“ _What the fu-”_ Connor yelped as Amity hurled, all over him. Her body shook from the event, and she suddenly felt very, very cold.

The anger in Connor’s eyes turned to disgust, and he stormed off down the hallway, trails of curse words and stomach acid following him down the previously spotless tile.   
Amity burst into the bathroom, quickly splashing some cold water on her face. Her body was still trembling, and she was unsure if she’d be able to still it for the next few hours.

But she was sure of one thing.

She was _not_ staying at this stupid party for a second longer. 

Amity pulled her phone from her dress - she was evident that it be made with pockets, or she’d refuse to wear it - and scrolled through her list of contacts, searching for someone, _anyone_ that could save her from this nightmare. 

_Boscha? No._

_Skara? Nope._

_Edric? God, he’s probably still shaken up over his own day. I can’t bother him with this!_

She paused momentarily. _Emira_. She groaned. 

She didn’t know how her sister would react, and frankly she was a little afraid of her sometimes. But right now, she seemed like the only good option to get Amity out of this hellscape. 

She selected the number.

_…_

“Hello?” A clearly dissatisfied voice answered, after a few rings.

“Hey, Emira?” Amity’s voice shook, fear ringing through the phone.

“Mittens - what’s wrong?” Emira’s annoyed tone fell, now filled with concern.

Suddenly, Amity was sobbing, and Emira was hightailing it towards Blight Manor. 

Emira hung up the phone, promising to be there as quick as she could. Amity felt guilty she had to leave her friend’s house, but she was too exhausted to give it much attention.

Her phone buzzed a few minutes later, and Amity felt a small measure of relief fill her chest.

_Emira: I’m outside. If you can make it to my room, you can climb out the window and we’ll get you out of here._

Amity was determined. Emira’s room was on the opposite side of the house, towards the front of the building, but she knew that if she stayed in the back hallways, she should be able to avoid bumping into any party guests. She doubted she’d run into Connor again - he was probably still scrubbing the vomit from his clothes. 

She slowly opened the restroom door, peaking out into the, thankfully, empty hallway. Taking off her high heels, she silently padded across the tile floor, dodging into any side rooms or hallways when she heard someone coming her way. 

“So, I’m standing there, right?” Amity cringed at the voice - it was one of the boys she had talked to earlier in the evening - Mattholomule? He was an utter nuisance. 

“And this little guy, shit man he gets on my _nerves_ dude. I mean, who puts a freshman in charge of a club? Let alone a human history club, like, boy’s barely even _lived_ and _he_ gets to be in charge?” Amity rolled her eyes. She was subject to this talk for thirty minutes, and even then it was hard to get him to shut up.

Amity silently prayed that he would leave her alone if she walked by. She put on her high heels and rounded the corner, head high with her signature resting-bitch-face on and at full blast. 

Mattolomule seemed to start to say something, before the wide-eyed boy next to him clamped his hands over his friend’s loud mouth.

“Evening, Miss Blight - congratulations, by the way!” The dark-skinned boy managed a wave and a sentence, and Amity felt that sickening feeling return to her gut.

“E-evening,” She stammered, some form of gentleness seeping from her words. “And, um, thank you?” she gave him a pitiful smile before walking off down the hallway, when he shouted again.

“Wait - Miss Blight, what’s happened to your arm?” She froze. He came closer, tentatively. 

“A-are you alright? That looks pretty bad,” he pointed to the bruises on her arm, and she instinctively went to cover them. He paused, arms out in front of him, brow twisted in concern.

His eyes were gentle, and their dark brown color reminded Amity of Luz’s. They were nothing like the dead eyes of Connor Davis. For a moment, Amity felt a little more okay.

Her shoulders fell, eyes still scared, but slightly more approachable.

“May I?” he motioned towards the bruises her little hand could barely hide. Amity nodded, slowly. 

Pulling back her hand, the boy carefully ran his fingers over the deep purple bruises, before letting out a dejected sigh. Gentle eyes floated upwards.

“Your, um, soul mate, Connor? He did this, didn’t he?” There was a clear sadness in his quiet voice, and Amity couldn’t keep from nodding, falling into the boy’s arms. 

“H-he’s not,” her voice shook violently, nearly on the verge of hyperventilation. “He’s not my soul mate. He lied, and I don’t know how, but he did.” The boy nodded, gently and awkwardly patting the girl’s back. Mattholomule, she realized had been eerily quiet throughout the whole endeavor. She glanced back, and saw his own eyes were filled with sadness. The normally arrogant and careless boy placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she felt a little safer.

“I believe you,” the boy stated, firmly. Amity felt relieved. “My name’s Demetri,” she nodded slightly.

“Nice to meet you, Demetri.” He smiled, and Amity felt like she was able to breathe a little.

“So, I take it, if you know _he_ isn’t your soulmate, that means that you’ve already found them, then?” Mattolomule asked, eyes narrowed in thought. She backed out of Demetri’s arms, and took a deep breath.

“Yes, I did. And she,” Amity paused, giving each of the boys a careful glance. They looked at each other momentarily, Mattholomule’s eyebrows raised in surprise, but they motioned for her to finish. “From what I know, may be one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. The way she makes me feel? That’s nothing like what this bastard does. He's terrifying. Connor may be charming around everyone else, but he’s a monster all alone.” Amity was shaking again.

“So, I figure that means that you’re trying to leave, then?” Demetri asked, motioning towards the hallway. Amity nodded. 

“Do you know where your soulmate lives? I mean, surely she’d let you stay there right?” Mattolomule quipped. 

“Well, I kinda, sorta, maybe, just met her this afternoon, and kept it hidden that I figured out she was my soulmate,” Amity huffed, face red from embarrassment. Mattolomule scoffed.

“Okay, so, where are you going then?” Amity pointed further down the hall.

“My sister came to pick me up. I assume I’ll just go back with her to her friend’s place and see how this all blows over. But, I have to make it to her room and sneak out her window,” Amity lowered her arm, shuffling slightly on her feet. 

The boys nodded, each getting a mischievous smile on their faces. “We’ll help you out, Amity, just tell us what to do!” Demetri smiled, and Amity couldn’t help but smile back. She pulled out her phone, and opened up a new contact.

“Put your info in here, and Mattholomule,” she sighed. She’d probably regret this. “You make one for yourself. Go ahead and try and clear out anyone that’s in the way so I can get to Emira’s room. If you see Connor, text me and do whatever you can to get him away. Once I’m out, I’ll let you guys know, okay?” Amity smiled, chest swelling with pride that she managed to make two new friends, and that they were willing to help her.

They nodded, before Mattolomule raised his hand carefully. “But, what about clothes? Are you just going to stay in that?” He motioned to her dress, and Amity realized that if she was gone for a while, she wouldn’t have anything to wear. 

“Umm, I guess I’ll just steal something from my sister? Hopefully she has something, and won’t be too mad that I took it,” Amity giggled. Mattolomule nodded, and they all seemed satisfied with the plan.

The boys went forward down the hall, and Amity slipped off her high heels once again. Carrying them in her hand, she followed far behind them. She heard Demetri calmly shoo a guest back to the party, and Mattholomule did the same.

Suddenly, her phone was buzzing. 

_Demetri: Just spotted Connor. He’s PISSED. And smells, really gross… He’s asking where you are and I just told him I thought I saw you back in the party, but he wants me to take him to you, so, I’ll stall as long as I can once we’re back in the crowd._

_A: Okay, thank you. Really._

_Demetri: Of course! Consider me your new buddy body-guard :) Let us know when you’re safe, okay?_

_A: Laughed at “Of course! Consider me your new buddy body-guard :) Let us know when you’re safe, okay?”_

_A: I will, and thank you, my buddy body-guard!_

She turned off her phone and continued on down the hallway and round the corner, where Mattholomule stood right outside Emira’s door, and gave her a thumbs-up as she came closer. 

“Thank you, so much,” Amity hugged the boy tight. “And please, don’t go bad-mouthing that freshman boy, okay? Who knows, once you get to know him, maybe you’ll like him!” Mattolomule rolled his eyes, but nodded nonetheless. 

“Alright, alright, don’t get all sappy on me,” He shooed her off, a smile betraying his overconfident air. “I’ll give him a chance - but I’m still gunning for the leader of the club!” Amity laughed, and he let out a chuckle.

“Tell me when you’re safe, okay? We’ll do all we can to keep Connor off your back, and to try and keep him from knowing you left.” Amity nodded, giving him one last hug before he turned down the hall. 

Amity quickly ducked into Emira’s room, and let loose a sigh of relief. She locked the door behind her, and quickly began rummaging through her closet, grabbing a handful of shirts and a pair of leggings. 

She grabbed some socks as well, and spotted a pair of her shoes that Amity had left in here a few weeks ago. She grabbed them and threw the high heels in their place.

Throwing off the dress and putting on a tee shirt and the leggings, she felt a little more relaxed. She spotted an empty backpack Emira had in the back of her closet - likely from her freshman year, judging by its condition. She tossed the extra clothes into the bag, and prayed Emira had an extra phone charger with her.

Noticing a cup of pens on her sister’s desk, she stalled for a minute. Glancing down at her ink-smothered arm, she grabbed a simple ballpoint pen and crept out her sister’s window. 

Emira was sitting in her car, parked on the street down below, and Amity could see the concern all over Emira’s face. Amity shut the window behind her and sprinted down the yard. Emira jumped out of the driver’s seat and nearly fell over from Amity’s tackle-hug. 

“Oh thank god you’re okay - is that my shirt?” Emira pulled out of the hug and motioned to the black tee that was just a little too big on Amity’s small body.

“Yeah - I needed something to wear other than that stupid dress. Sorry, I took a few outfits - I didn’t know how bad it was going to be this time,” Amity rocked back and forth, arms crossed over her chest. That’s when Emira’s eyes fixated on the bruises on her arm.

“What the fuck.” Amity’s eyes widened and she pulled her arm behind her back. “Who did that? Who do I have to kill?” Emira was seething, and Amity was just glad it wasn’t _at_ her for once. 

“I’ll explain to you in the car, but we should really get going,” Amity was fidgeting like crazy, glancing back and forth between the manor and the car, begging no one would happen to see the notorious Amity Blight fleeing from her own party. 

Emira nodded, and the pair climbed into the hand-me-down car Emira had gotten from her father. It was still a nice, sleek car - a nice silver with fancy leather seats, but he seemed to always desire something bigger, something better. 

Amity pulled out her phone, texting her two new friends that she was safe, and for a little while, she felt okay. 

The universe seemed to have had her back, to make up for whatever shit it pulled earlier, and Amity could breathe a little easier as she poured out the night’s events to her sister. 

Taking a glance at the clock as they took off from the estate, Amity wondered if Luz would still be up. 

_She seems like the kind of girl to stay up until midnight, right?_

Chancing it, she pulled out the ballpoint pen and wrote a simple message on her arm.

 _I’m okay. Sorry about our shared bruises._

Emira sent Amity a questioning glance, but stayed quiet nonetheless. They drove the rest of the way to Emira’s friend Viney’s place in a calm quiet. Amity figured she’d give Emira time to process the story, and didn’t know how to break it to her yet that she had met her soulmate, and hadn’t told her right away. Her and Edric were likely to be pissed that she would keep such a secret - but for right now, it seemed like the best option. 

Amity did _not_ need her older siblings meddling in her metaphorical love-life.


End file.
